Final deal made on Iranian nuclear program

Following months of negotiations and extensions, nuclear deal made Tuesday in Vienna

Negotiation leaders in Vienna finalize deal (US State Department)

World powers and Iran have finalized a deal following months of negotiations and several extended deadlines. According to initial reports the deal will begin lifting sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran in exchange for negotiated changes in Iran’s nuclear program.

An Iranian diplomat confirmed the deal, telling European media “All the hard work has paid off and we sealed a deal. God bless our people.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry also confirmed the deal. Western diplomats have also confirmed a deal has been finalized.

Earlier before the confirmation that a deal was made, Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly stated in a cabinet meeting that he would fight the deal in the United States Congress. He stated that the emerging nuclear deal “endangers the peace of the entire world.”

On Monday, Israel’s Defense Minister, Moshe Ya’alon stated that the forthcoming deal with Iran was a “bad deal” and that Israel will “continue to be ready to defend ourselves, by ourselves” calling Iran a “merciless, bloody regime that disseminates global terror, undermining the foundations of the free world. This agreement will be a historic mistake.”

He stated that, “The deal that is taking shape in Vienna will affect our diplomatic-security status more than anything else, and as we understand it, it will be signed very soon. Even if there are last-minute improvements, it will still be a bad deal that will allow Iran to become a nuclear threshold state, with everything that entails. The agreement in effect launders everything that Iran has done, contrary to the Security Council resolution. Neighboring countries are now talking about their own need to arm themselves, which could spark a nuclear arms race in the region. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey are talking about it. Not to mention the fact that the agreement doesn’t require Iran to decommission even a single nuclear facility or destroy even a single centrifuge.”